Hsin-Yi Huang, Edward C.S. Ku and Chun-Der Chen
This research aimed to examine the role of cloud infrastructure capabilities of tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism supply chain, increasing the…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aimed to examine the role of cloud infrastructure capabilities of tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism supply chain, increasing the online consumption value of tourists.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses stratified random sampling. A value model was formulated, and the study distributed 2,000 surveys; 412 valid responses were received and analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach.
Findings
The cloud-based architecture provides tourism SMEs a competitive advantage in the dynamic tourism market and the ability to develop next-generation system capabilities while providing tourism SMEs with a new application foundation to adapt to the ever-changing tourism market.
Originality/value
For tourism SEMs, the cloud allows adjusting strategies and procedures for tourism supply chain management; this agility enables tourism SMEs to anticipate changes in the travel market and respond to changing consumer demands in the tourism industry.
Details
Keywords
Kuang-Yu Chang, Chun-Der Chen and Edward C.S. Ku
This study aims to investigate tourists’ impressions of the smart destinations model from the socio-technical systems and the technology–organization–environment (TOE…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate tourists’ impressions of the smart destinations model from the socio-technical systems and the technology–organization–environment (TOE) perspectives. Specifically, it aims to explore how information source credibility and cloud infrastructure influence tourists’ use of intelligent technology.
Design/methodology/approach
This measurement development is based on prior literature; after being evaluated for face and content validity, the authors used random sampling to collect data and conducted a field survey of tourists through Taoyuan Airport and using the airport MRT between December 2022 and March 2023. After confirming that tourists knew the destination information and had experience using travel-related mobile applications to plan their itinerary, the authors further invited tourists to participate in the survey, and 512 valid questionnaires were analyzed by the structural equation modeling approach.
Findings
The finding pointed out that source credibility and intelligent technology were innovative technologies that benefitted tourists, as were mobile travel planning apps, which created a relational context based on interests and activities from the socio-technical and TOE perspectives.
Originality/value
Technological innovation is closely related to the development of smart cities; tourists who used travel itineraries successfully understood travel-related actions and significantly had more positive affective images of the city.
Details
Keywords
Chun-Der Chen, Edward C.S. Ku and Chien Chi Yeh
Customers who engage in impulsive online shopping make immediate, unplanned and ill-thought-out purchases online. The purpose of this paper is to present a model to illustrate how…
Abstract
Purpose
Customers who engage in impulsive online shopping make immediate, unplanned and ill-thought-out purchases online. The purpose of this paper is to present a model to illustrate how website quality (moderated by hedonic value) influences impulsive shopping behaviors in the context of online tourism.
Design/methodology/approach
The model and hypotheses presented here were tested by structural equation modeling. Empirical data were collected by conducting a questionnaire survey, in total, 3,000 invitation messages were mailed to the members of the two travel communities (1,500 invitation messages for each one), of which, 402 were returned completed (a return rate of 13.4 percent).
Findings
Visually appealing websites are more likely to attract customer attention and illicit pleasurable emotional responses. In addition, effective tourism websites also maintain good service quality and ensure accuracy of information. Finally, good functional benefits can help customers reduce the time and effort spent searching for a specific service and can also serve as a stimulus triggering impulse buying.
Research limitations/implications
This study used a reliable multidimensional measure of factors that influence the relational benefit of initiators and buyers to help elucidate which factors encourage impulsive online shopping. From a theoretical perspective, the authors determined that website quality is positively associated with functional benefits, and thereby influences impulsive shopping behaviors; in addition, the functional benefits conferred by websites have a strong and direct influence on impulsive shopping behavior. However, this effect is moderated by hedonic value.
Practical implications
Online tourism retailers should continually seek to enhance this function because it is the primary motivation behind customer use of online shopping websites. Effective tourism websites also maintain good service quality and ensure accuracy of information. Finally, navigation systems should be designed to meet the needs of new users, for example by offering help pages that address a variety of topics. Therefore, tourism websites should feature an adequate number of images, a colorful design, and well-described services and products.
Originality/value
In recent years, the popularity of online shopping websites has continued to rise. In seeking to elucidate impulsive online shopping behaviors, this study focused on online-to-offline applications, the uses-and-gratifications perspective and service-dominant logic. The authors also discussed the important influence of website quality on impulse buying and how this is moderated by hedonic value. The research model presented in this study provides a reliable instrument to operationalize key constructs in the analysis of impulsive shopping behavior and has important implications for the online tourism industry.
Details
Keywords
Edward C.S. Ku and Chun-Der Chen
This study examines how customer-linking capabilities, the flexibility of back-end management systems, strategic agility and the perceived absorptive capacity of e-commerce…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines how customer-linking capabilities, the flexibility of back-end management systems, strategic agility and the perceived absorptive capacity of e-commerce influence the organizational performance of online sellers.
Design/methodology/approach
A performance model based on the adaptive structuration theory was employed to test the hypotheses using structural equation modeling (SEM) on a dataset of 325 samples with acceptable responses.
Findings
The results reveal that the customer-linking capability and flexibility of back-end management systems, strategic agility and assimilation of e-commerce activity significantly influence organizational performance in a virtual environment.
Originality/value
The agility of online sellers is becoming increasingly important, and from the perspective of adaptive structuration theory, back-end management systems have been built to manage buyer orders for online sellers.
Details
Keywords
Cheng-Kui Huang, Chun-Der Chen and Yu-Tzu Liu
As the application of gamification is gaining great attention and has grown increasingly, thousands of these applications can be easily obtained from mobile phone stores, thus…
Abstract
Purpose
As the application of gamification is gaining great attention and has grown increasingly, thousands of these applications can be easily obtained from mobile phone stores, thus causing intensified competition and discontinuance of use accordingly. Besides, though understanding what factors influence the discontinuance of use of information systems (ISs) is critical for theoretical as well as practical reasons, studies pertaining to the saliency of the final phase, termination of an IS, are still limited. As such, the purpose of this paper is to propose a holistic view to fulfill the above-mentioned research gaps based on the expectation-confirmation model with other salient factors such regret, habit and gamification app values.
Design/methodology/approach
The context of a fitness gamification app is investigated. A total of 210 valid responses were received, and structural equation modeling was applied for data analysis.
Findings
The findings of this paper are as follows: among all factors influencing discontinuance intention, regret is the strongest, habit is second and gamification is third; among all factors affecting user satisfaction, gamification app value is the strongest, confirmation is second, perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use are third and regret is the last one; for factors influencing users’ habits, satisfaction is the strongest, following by PU and frequency of prior use; confirmation negatively influences the degree of regret; and confirmation positively influences PU.
Originality/value
This study highlights the important determinants influencing users’ discontinuance intentions in the context of gamification apps by incorporating two overlooked factors, regret and habit. Besides, this study suggests that app designers can not only increase user’s perceived value through external cooperation with other alternatives, but can be through internal enhancement with diverse services development as well.
Details
Keywords
Yi-Fei Chuang, Shiuh-Nan Hwang, Jehn-Yih Wong and Chun-Der Chen
– The aim of this study is to explore the attractiveness of tourist night markets by looking at the dual nature of retail service and tourism from a supply-side perspective.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to explore the attractiveness of tourist night markets by looking at the dual nature of retail service and tourism from a supply-side perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted field observations to understand the offerings at night markets and used content analysis to explore the attributes of vendors who operate there.
Findings
The research reveals that the attractiveness of night markets derives from the diversity of service contents and local food, affordable consumption (the lowest unit prices, with products under US$3.3 comprising approximately 70 per cent of those offered), temple festivals and the various service attributes of vendors. These night market features generate physical perceptions and personnel perceptions among tourists. Vendor service attributes include performance, empathy, responsiveness and courtesy. Unique and interesting performances comprise a special attribute of night markets that differ from other service industries.
Practical implications
The results provide information on how tourism officials can promote night markets as tourist destinations and what kinds of vendor service attributes please tourists the most.
Originality/value
This study expands on the literature that discusses perceptual attributes to tourist street markets by exploring the service contents of these markets and by identifying the service attributes of vendors.
Details
Keywords
Chun-Der Chen and Edward C.S. Ku
Bridging indistinct relationships and online loyalty has become an important strategy for online interest-based communities' operators and firms. The objective of this study is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Bridging indistinct relationships and online loyalty has become an important strategy for online interest-based communities' operators and firms. The objective of this study is to draw on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to advance our understanding of the influences on the development of relationship quality and the consequent impact on members' loyalty to online communities.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the hypotheses the authors identified and selected four interest-based online communities in Taiwan. The online survey yielded 331 completed questionnaires from members of interest-based online communities and the authors analysed the results using the structural equation modelling approach.
Findings
The findings show that argument quality and source credibility positively affect members' perceived relationship quality, which has a positive and significant effect on behavioural loyalty, and personal relevance and user expertise positively moderate the relationship between argument quality and relationship quality and negatively moderate the relationship between source credibility and relationship quality.
Research limitations/implications
While this study has produced meaningful insights for investigating the informational processing influences on relationship quality and subsequent behavioural loyalty through the ELM perspective, the samples may not allow researchers to draw more general conclusions across different types of community contexts. The data were collected only from interest-based communities. Examining this model across different types of online communities, such as transaction-, relationship-, or fantasy-based ones, would help establish the generalisability of these results beyond the current context.
Practical implications
The present study can help managers of online communities recognise the differential effects of these information processes across a user population and customise optimal strategies that best fit the unique characteristics of their community members. For making argument quality more convincing, Toulmin's (1958) model of argumentation could serve as an appropriate mechanism. Moreover it is crucial to provide various indicators of source credibility for information content.
Originality/value
The paper addresses a gap in the research by using ELM to better understand the influences on the development of relationship quality and the impact on members' loyalty. Understanding these dynamics is critical since it: enriches the relationship marketing and information management literature by addressing the role of information content in the management and success of online communities; helps online community managers customise optimal strategies for their members, thereby fostering members' loyalty and their platform's competitive advantage; and illuminates two influential processes that can achieve the desired attitude change in the context of online communities.
Details
Keywords
Razaz Waheeb Attar, Mohana Shanmugam and Nick Hajli
Social media is still influencing consumers and is extending social commerce (S-Commerce) use. Different social media activities can influence the users' trust and e-satisfaction…
Abstract
Purpose
Social media is still influencing consumers and is extending social commerce (S-Commerce) use. Different social media activities can influence the users' trust and e-satisfaction at different levels, which in turn influence the purchase intentions. This is evident for the food and beverage industry as S-Commerce mediated by social media can help realise a shorter time to market and meet buyer demands. In addition, credibility factors may influence trust and purchase intentions. Understanding the various factors of influence such as social constructs, namely ratings, reviews and referrals; design constructs such as credibility and features and behavioural constructs such as trust, satisfaction and motivation; and analysing the relationship between these factors and how they influence purchase intentions can provide deeper insights into S-Commerce research, decision-making process and purchase intentions particularly from a food and beverage context.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on trust through social media activities and surface credibility as well as e-commerce satisfaction, the authors have proposed a research model to investigate the purchase intention of consumers in S-Commerce platforms. Survey data were collected from six countries in Asia and analysed using SEM-PLS.
Findings
Results indicated that both trust and surface credibility significantly influence e-commerce satisfaction leading to purchase intention. Furthermore, surface credibility, which is a novel predictor for purchase intention in S-Commerce context, is highly significant on e-commerce satisfaction. Besides, encouraged by surface credibility, it was identified that trust significantly affects e-commerce satisfaction and results in purchase intention. This research adds contribution to theory and practice in S-Commerce stream as discussed at the end of the paper.
Originality/value
The results of this research contribute to the S-Commerce literature and have practical implications for practitioners in the food and beverage industry. As such, focussing on these constructs, this paper analyses the relationship between the social media activities, trust, e-commerce satisfaction, surface credibility and intention to buy.